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Guerra vs. Braddock: State House 95th District candidates face off over who is more of a Democrat

Vanessa Guerra Norm Braddock

Vanessa Guerra and Norman Braddock are both seeking the Democratic nomination for the 95th District Michigan House of Representatives seat being vacated by State Rep. Stacy Erwin Oakes. The Bridgeport Township trustee and former Saginaw city councilman will square off in the Aug. 5, 2014, primary.
(File | MLive.com)

As a direct result, the Saginaw County Democratic Party voted at its July 10 meeting to suspend its rule against endorsing a primary candidate and chose to endorse Guerra over Braddock in the race.

"We try to have an established practice to not endorse in primaries," said Judi Lincoln, newly-elected chairwoman of the county party.

Lincoln said the pledge was central to the group's decision and that a vote to endorse Guerra passed without any opposition.

"It was a public lynching," Braddock said. "They used that as an excuse to do what they wanted to do anyway."

Misled and confused

Braddock issued a public statement July 15 voicing his full support for Schauer's candidacy.

"I was misled by confusing and misleading statements made in that letter," he wrote in the statement. "I condemn any campaign tactics designed to distort issues and confuse voters, as that letter clearly does."

Guerra said that she feels a failure on Braddock's part to closely read the document he was signing is just as troubling as the thought he would denounce his party's own gubernatorial candidate.

"The 95th District deserves better than that, it deserves someone that will actually read and research documents before signing them," she said. "We need to make sure we have someone that, regardless of party lines, is really paying attention to things."

Despite the setback, Braddock said he is still confident that he will walk away with the Democratic nomination on Aug. 5.

"It's the only chink in my armor," he said. "I can win without their endorsement. I'm going to win on Aug. 5."

Guerra said a Republican governor and Republican-controlled state Legislature in Michigan have cut education, extended tax breaks to business and passed harmful new laws like Right to Work. She said all that is an argument for Democrats to send a strong liberal voice like hers to Lansing this year.

"It's clear, to get Michigan back on the right track, we need to get more Democrats back in office," Guerra said.

Braddock said his experience, record as a public servant and relationships with people in the community make him the right choice for the job.

"I have 15 years of political experience to her three," he said. "The biggest difference between us is experience. Not just in work, but in life. She's a professional student. I've raised a family."

Guerra said her age should not be a factor for voters and that the quality of someone's experience is much more important than a number of years.

"Having young people involved in politics is a positive thing," she said. "Just because you sit on a certain board for a number of years, if you don't accomplish positive things, the experience is not really that valuable."

On top of that, Guerra said she sees her age as an asset rather than a weakness.

In another split form the party norm, Braddock has been endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan, an anti-abortion, anti-cloning and anti-euthanasia organization.

He said that endorsement stems from his personal belief that abortion is wrong except in cases of incest or rape, or when medical realities threaten the life of the mother.

"Every child should have the right to be born," Braddock said. "Life begins at conception."

The Democrat received a "B-" on the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund scorecard, often a higher grade than most Democrats receive.

"I don't think it's guns that kill people, but people who kill people," Braddock said. "We shouldn't penalize responsible gun owners. I believe in gun control to the extent that we need to get guns away from children, keep guns away from felons and from those who will commit crimes with guns."

Braddock said there are many other areas in which he falls in line with his fellow Democrats.

But most importantly, he said, he has accumulated the professional, political and life experience necessary to do the job that will be expected of him in Lansing.

"I'm a team player," Braddock said. "I'm a collaborator. I'm a good listener. I come from humble beginnings, and I have a strong business background. I believe all problems have a solution, even though it might not be my solution. I'm a believer in permanent solutions."

Knocking on doors

Guerra said she has been spending a lot of time knocking on doors all over the 95th District and has learned some of the things that are most important to her potential constituents.

"I feel really energized by that experience," she said. "I know our community better, in a better way."

The takeaways from those conversations, Guerra said, include a desire for leaders to work to repeal the tax on retiree pensions and better public education funding. Those are things she will champion if elected, she said.

"They know what we need," Guerra said. "We need more money for our schools, we need more living-wage jobs and to bring those jobs to Saginaw and give those jobs to our residents. I want to take their concerns directly to Lansing."

Braddock said he was inspired to run for state office after his time on the local school board and on Saginaw City Council because he said he realized that many funding problems at the local level were tied to a lack of necessary resources from the state.

"I believe in getting as close to the source of the problems as possible," he said.

There is a lot that can be accomplished in Lansing, Braddock said. He said he sees the possibility to save money by scaling back the Michigan Department of Corrections and would place high funding priorities on education, public safety and economic development efforts.

"My motto is education plus economic development equals jobs," Braddock said. "I don't believe we can cut our way into prosperity. "We need to find out what we can do to help Michigan grow."

Bankruptcy filing

Braddock addressed his personal bankruptcy filing from 2005, a matter of public record.

"It's true, but it was 10 years ago," he said. "I was going through a divorce. I was in-between jobs. I've landed on my feet."

Guerra has a year left to complete her law degree at University of Detroit Mercy, something she believes she can complete while serving her first term as a state lawmaker.

"It's not uncommon for state legislators to be finishing their law degree," she said. "I think my legal education will prove beneficial to serving the people of the 95th District."

The 95th District consists of the cities of Saginaw and Zilwaukee and the townships of Kochville, Zilwaukee, Carrollton, Buena Vista, Bridgeport, Spaulding and James.

The seat is held by State Rep. Stacy Erwin Oakes, D-Saginaw, who is one of three candidates vying for the 32nd State Senate District seat being vacated by State Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary contest in November will go on to face Republican candidate Jordan Haskins in November, assuming Haskins' name will appear on the ballot.

In the wake of news of his criminal past surfacing, the Republican recently announced he was pulling out of the race. State election officials said that his name will appear on the August and possibly the November ballots, since the deadline to officially withdraw as a candidate has passed.

Buena Vista resident Paul M. Lyons has recently filed paperwork as a write-in candidate for the seat, as well.